Rooney set for left wing role

03 June 2014 10:02

Wayne Rooney is expected to start on the left wing in England's warm-up game against Ecuador in Miami on Wednesday.

Rooney put in a sub-par performance in England's 3-0 win over Peru at Wembley on Friday, but he will be given another chance to impress in the Three Lions' penultimate World Cup warm-up game.

After England's training session in Miami on Tuesday, the indications were that the United forward will start out wide, rather than up front or in the no.10 role.

It is a position where Rooney has not been comfortable in the past.

In 2009, after a run of games playing out wide for United, the 28-year-old said: "I don't think playing on the wing I can express myself as much as I like to."

But Roy Hodgson, who will name a much-changed side for the Ecuador game, has no qualms about deploying Rooney out wide.

"He can do that (role), absolutely," said the England manager, who also confirmed James Milner will start at right-back.

"I think Wayne's a very useful player in the sense you don't have to pin him down and say this is the only position he can play.

"He can play centre-forward, behind the centre-forward and wide. If he's done all of those things at the very top level for Manchester United, there is no reason why I can't use him in those positions as well."

Hodgson was all smiles as he mingled with the media and other guests at a drinks reception in Miami on Monday night, but the mood of the England coach darkened slightly when he was asked about Rooney's abilities on the eve of the Ecuador match.

The England manager claimed, for the second time in five days, that there is an obsession with Rooney, who missed the last three games with a groin problem.

Hodgson declined the opportunity to agree with one reporter's view of Rooney as an "exceptional" player.

"You're saying he is an exceptional player. I'm not saying if he's exceptional or not. I have picked him because he is a very good player," Hodgson said.

"He didn't play many games before he joined us. We think that starting a game will be to his advantage."

Rooney is expected to be the only player retained from Friday's win over Peru, which looked better on paper than it was in reality.

Ben Foster will start in goal behind an expected back four of Milner, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Luke Shaw.

Frank Lampard will captain the team while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley are likely to start behind lone-striker Rickie Lambert.

Raheem Sterling, who impressed as a substitute against Peru, may have to settle for a place on the bench this time too.

With Kyle Walker out of the World Cup through injury, and Jones having not played for a month because of a shoulder problem, Hodgson is short of cover at right-back.

Hodgson classes Milner as a midfielder, but the England boss has no problem selecting the Manchester City player in defence.

"He's got the qualities to play there," Hodgson said.

"There may be moments in the World Cup where we'd like to use him there. This will give him some experience."

After two days of thunder storms, the Sunshine State has finally lived up to its name.

Temperatures neared 30 degrees Celsius during England's one and only training session at the Sun Life Stadium on Tuesday.

"It was good to see the sun," Hodgson said, who was forced to take Monday's session indoors due to torrential rain.

"It was warm out there and the conditions are similar I think to what we'll encounter in Brazil.

"So it was absolutely perfect today and it is nice to get back to some degree of normality."

The 75,540-seater stadium is expected to be only a quarter-full for the match against Ecuador, who will be in a group with France, Switzerland and Honduras at the World Cup.